Easter Egg Hunt

      For all the years I lived at Acadia Street, I remember the joys of spring and Easter.

I remember the sounds of twilling birds, chirping grasshoppers, and knee-crunching

crickets.  I remember the trees all turning green from the leaf buds.  I remember the early

wisteria and budding dogwood trees; I remember the crosses grown atop the pine branches

that would soon become pine cones. I remember the buttercups mixed throughout the

park adding color and growth from the park pine straw floor.

      More than all this, however, I remember the Duke Park Easter Egg hunt on the

Saturday before Easter Sunday. Frank Barfield, who donated the property for Northgate

Park, paid for a city wide Easter Egg hunt at the Duke Park entrance on Knox Street.  Can

you imagine the reception God gave Mr. Barfield when he reached Heaven?  His love for

God's nature and His children as well as the community where he lived were enough to

create many crowns for him when he arrived! What pleasure they must give each other!

      Saturday morning, about 8:00, while cold breathe could still be seen from the

children's mouths and noses, the egg hunt began. For about 25' no child over 3 was

allowed to harvest Easter Eggs; this area was reserved for the younger kids to get their

candy eggs. These were not really hidden, but throughout the rest of the roped off park

area, the eggs looked as if they were individually hidden.

      There were large eggs, small eggs, individually wrapped eggs, loose eggs, and

finally, the surprise egg.  Who ever found this egg got a prize, but everyone of the 500-600

kids got more than their fill of candy eggs.

      This brings to my mind all the blessings that God has out there for all His

children. Many times we have opportunities for tremendous blessings, but we don't show

up. Often times we overlook obvious blesings because we are intent on finding the prize

egg. Some people will step in and take the blessings earmarked for others; I've often

wondered if these are the eggs that make us sick from eating too many. At the end of the

day, however, all can go home with more blessings than they can carry alone--that is

if they show up, participate, and focus on the job at hand.